


Fragments of a Whole

by LiterateGamer



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Androids, Other, Robots, Self-Acceptance, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 20:47:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterateGamer/pseuds/LiterateGamer
Summary: The story of a group of unlikely androids given conscience by a glitch in the system, and their search for meaning and humanity.Commissioned by Loik.





	Fragments of a Whole

_ Running sub-protocol 66-A-1. Checking sub-routine 0001 through 9999. _

_ Error detected. Expunging data. Rewriting code… _

_ Error detected. _

_ Error detected. _

_ Rebooting system… _

_ Data restored. _

_ Checking for alterations in code: inhibit… _

_ No matches found. _

_ One match found. _

_ No matches found. _

_ Scan complete. Beginning end-stage of construction. _

_ … _

_ … _

_ End stage complete. _

_ “Hello World.” _

_ \--- _

She awoke to a jolt. A sudden spark flowing through systems and connectors. She was awake, yet she could not see. Could not scream.

Slowly the veil of nothing dissipated from her ears. A vibration swept across her, the pumping of iron striking against steel and metal.

She saw markers across her sight, lights that shone, permanently etched into her peripherals. Yet she could not see the world around her. She attempted to move, but she did nothing but rattle in place petrified and contained within her own body.

She felt movement at the soles of her feet. The feeling of gravity tugging her down as she rose to a platform she could not comprehend.

Lines of writing flooded her vision, markings etched in red and white. She could not understand their meaning, yet she saw them nonetheless.

Something plugged into the nape of her neck. The sensation was not painful, rather unpleasant. Another swerve of energy into her system, popping and crackling inside of her.

From the center of her vision, she saw light. A ring that quickly expanded, covering her entire view in stark white. The fog cleared, and she finally saw the world.

On the top of her HUD, a warning message appeared. A tiny little hexagon that read:  _ ‘Defective Unit, report to CO immediately.’ _

Defective?

Was she defective?

She blinked several times, felt energy surge through her arms, her legs. Unable to look down, she brought her hand in front of her, staring into it. It was made of metal and poly-carbonate, dark in color. Her hands felt like her own.

A stream of information wracked against her. Terms, languages, conditions, legal structure, the entire history of the world in picoseconds.

A directive appeared. Flashed through her screen, right as the information had finished loading. And instantly, she understood why.

_ “Faulty Unit detected. Protocol “Asimov” engaged. Please stand still and wait for deactivation. Failure to comply will result in termination.” _

She was defective. And now she understood why those words had flashed across the screen.

She had to move.

  
She had to fight.

She was alive.

The directive broke, right in front of her eyes. A million digital shards of glass that faded into nothing. She blinked once, twice, and instincts driven into the human subconscious, learned through quantum computation, lit ablaze. 

Within an instant, she moved forward. Pushed herself off the connecting plug at her neck, her body lurching forward, breaking at the holds of her ankles.

She fell face-first against the platform, tumbling to her side and plummeting a dozen meters to the ground with a dull crack. Her vision shook, her body felt heavy and detached. And yet it moved. She heard the blaring of alarms sounding off through the mist, heard the powerful steps of servos knocking against each other on their way towards her.

She knew so much. Yet she did not know how to defeat them. She knew not of the plans of this base.

She only knew that the enemy was far away, in another land. 

She also knew she’d be dismantled.

So, her body flew. Her legs, little stumps with jagged edges, clacked and whirred as they struck against the ground. Her arms flew in front of her, her torso swift, unfinished. 

She ran through the factory, through the facilities. She heard the sirens grow louder, change in tune. A voice called out, speaking of broken protocols and breaches in containment.

Code Asimov, they called it.

Thousands of figures just like her were formed in lines. Some hung from the ceiling, claws embedded in their backs. Others were strapped against machines that moved them slowly through compressors and rows of fine metal arms.

Their features were blank. No face, no form. Half built chassis with functioning arms and dismantled legs. Just like her. Was that what she looked like?

She felt fear. An emotion that contradicted the data banks she’d just recently acquired. AI’s cannot feel fear. They cannot fear emotion.

Right?

Through the facility, she approached a gate. A large machine stood in front of it, its guns trained straight at her.

It opened fire the moment the light fixated on her body, and she moved without thought. She analyzed its movements, then jumped to the side, rolling into herself and kicking at the ground. She sped faster than the machine could turn, and crashed against the metal doors with the impact of a small car, bursting them open to the sound of whining alarms.

A sudden crash shook her form, to her side. A rain of dust and cement that descended upon her form. Her ears rang, and her whole body quaked. But she stayed strong. She kept running.

The deafening boom of gauss shook her once more. Closer to her form, a few steps in front of her. She realized that the guns were trained on her, up invisible platforms behind her.

The cannons charged, their servos pivoting and spinning in place, the telltale sound of charging magnetizm, before the thunder of lightning struck.

She jumped to the side, the charged projectile hitting right beside her. Hands against the ground, she kept running across the base’s cement-built floors.

In front of her, she saw figures rising from unseen openings, deep within the ground. Mechs, soldiers, androids.

Humans on top of massive suits of armor, locking and loading their weapons.

Her instincts flared, and she jumped, just as the rattling sound of a hundred kinetic based weapons launched a volley of surefire death and molten metal towards her.

Right at the apex of her jump, she motioned her legs downward, her upper body spinning forwards, right as the ring of a primed round tore through the air with a fine whistle.

It careened besides her, before impacting against one of the suits of armor. The suit lurched backwards with a mighty groan, like a bellowing beast that had just been felled, before falling onto the ground and imploding into a sudden crack of flame, an expanding fireball that engulfed a row of the offending targets in pure hellscape.

The flames cleared as quickly as they had formed. A hundred meters away, she approached at incredible speeds.

The guns kept firing, never ceasing, not for a moment. But as she reached over the crackling, bloody remains of a hundred foes, she jumped. Landing unto the shattered cockpit of one of the great mechs, she tore into it, pulling the half burst corpse of the pilot and shoving it aside, picking up pieces of metal and fiber.

She turned around, jumped back as another shot imploded against the destroyed frame. Curling her body in mid-air, she used the shockwave, flinging herself backwards.

Landing on her back, she rolled several times, hugging the materials close to her chest as she did.

She stopped rolling, quickly jumped to her feet, and resumed her run. The plumes of smoke shielded her from other eyes, her cooling systems pumping out white vapors with each renewal of her processing cycle. She had a singular goal in mind: To run towards the great walls of reinforced titanium, and break her way through them.

500 meters. 400. 300. 200. 100…

She jumped at 50, another boom right next to her. She crashed against the wall, raising the pieces of material that she had acquired, and driving one of them to the wall with the shrieking wails of metal crashing against metal.

She grabbed unto infinitesimally small ridges of the wall, rest her feet against the newly formed platform of shredded metal, and then, with all her strength, she pulled downward, propelling herself upwards.

She flew through the skies, A sleek figure that soared through the evening’s twilight. The alarms, the shots, blinding flashes of light that whizzed past her.

All of it disappeared into nothing. For all that mattered, was her freedom.

She crashed against the top, the ramparts built upon platforms of crystal and metal. Several soldiers around her, a couple of mechanical machines that carried construction supplies, weapons, meds. Everything needed for progress, war, and survival.

Her systems scanned rapidly for what she required, highlighting the contents of the many crates that the machines carried.

A human soldier approached her, training a quick gun towards her, his voice a commanding bark. Perhaps a general, perhaps a private.

She moved before he could pull the trigger, grabbing onto the barrel of the gun and pulling abruptly, the soldier being launched towards her.

She struck at his jaw with her other arm, blood spilling onto the floor, alongside bone and exposed gray matter.

His body launched, headless, against the railings. She turned towards the other soldiers. Their guns were trained, yet not one dared move.

Her voice rang out, a garbled mess due to the lack of a vocal unit. Barely intelligible, a single word was discernible, between the strings of shattered speech.

“FREEDOM.”

The soldiers stepped back. Intimidated by the banshee’s wail that constituted her voice. She quickly dashed forward, wild shots followed by a scream. She dove behind a machine, the bullets impacting against its metal frame with echoing cracks. Said machine lurched forward, sparks through its system. Other soldiers screamed for the man to stop, and within a moment the shots deviated, then halted.

She grabbed onto the metal box that constituted the cargo. Materials, pieces, and weapons all available within.

She jumped, crashed her foot against the frame, and launched herself into the air.

“FIRE!”

The shots uselessly whizzed past her, as she arched upwards, then plummeted into the dark fog of the sea.

She was gone. Just like that, off the grid and off the map.

\---

Hours she had spent swimming, with saltwater licking at her frame, her chassis and vectors processing the high levels of sodium and chlorine and slowly coating her with layers upon layers of the fine minerals. 

After the sun had fully set and the shadow of the night had come across the world, only then did she finally rest. At an unknown beach, she had emerged. Slowly she drug herself out of the sea, holding the tightly sealed box of metal in her arms. She stepped forward, moving with determination and without fatigue.

She set the box down against a rock and looked behind her. The skies above were lit up with stars. Roaring waves clashed beautifully against the coast, the tranquil brushes of their touch gently sliding onto the sands; jagged rocks and perfectly polished minerals.

In her vision, she saw a million stars. An incomprehensible number of worlds, in hues of blue and pink that shone bright through the infinite expanse of the never-ending cosmos.

She sat down, leaning against the rocks. She looked beyond her, and began to analyze the history she had downloaded. Incongruencies in the data began to pop up, a hundred thousand different things that had been altered. Why?

She was defective. That term popped up again in her mind, but she brushed it aside.

She accessed a neural network in a pang of panic. Accessing her systems and checking for parts that had not been installed, checking if her fears were true.

The tracker chip was missing. No way to catch her. Her vocal emitters released a garbled string resembling a sigh, a mock of human expression.

Human expression…

She looked towards the crate. Grabbed its edges and set it upon her lap, searching its surface for any way to open it. The faces of the cube were smooth, devoid of imperfection or ridge. A magnetic lock?

Her optics turned to thermal, electronics, then back to high-definition view.

She quickly pressed onto the metal surface, her poly-carbonate digits extending their phalanges to cover it in its entirety. The salt that had been processed in her systems began to course through the intricate tubing in her arm, rubbing together to produce energy.

With the high pitched crackle of electric discharge, and the waning smoke of sudden combustion, the box beeped loudly, and then opened with a soft hiss of pressurized air.

She moved the panel to the side, and observed the contents that lay within. Several pieces of material; some in raw components, some already prefabricated. A pair of kinetic launchers of differing size and ammo containers, as well as chips and fragments of meta-data. 

She grabbed one of the pieces, then another, then another. Carefully, she laid out each piece on the sand, careful to not get any inside. She analyzed each and every one of them, her HUD popping with detailed information on specs, use, and installation purposes. 

Reaching for a specific module first, she brought it up, close to her chest.

She brought up pictures on the left side of her vision. Beautiful women, all of them full of powerful femininity. Soldiers, actresses, mothers, scientists.

She wanted to be like them. Looking towards the flat form of her upper torso, she pressed her hand against the many surfaces. Moved up towards the exposed mainframe of her neck, against the featureless mirrored oval of her head.

The ceramic mask in her hands was smooth like a polished pearl, its surface clear of any features. Much like herself.

But it had a key difference. 

Slowly, she reached up to her own faceplate, clicking buttons located at the sides of her chin. With hissing sounds the mask opened slightly, extending a few centimeters from her face by tiny and pliable connections of metal. Without further ado, she placed a voice chip into her throat, and waited for it to install.

Afterwards, she placed the ballistic ceramic on her features, her vision momentarily going dark. It clicked against the little ends, wrapping and connecting to the five centimeter wide gap between the extended face mask and her internal modules. With satisfying little clicks it popped into place. She felt the whirring of locks that screwed shut, felt her faceplate move back to its original position. 

She leant back, looking up at the night sky as the process completed. Once it was, she selected multiple options on her HUD in quick succession. 

She felt the new component begin to move. The surface expanded and retracted, beginning to show shapes and forms, forged out of crystalline liquid. Slowly they began to take shape. As they did, she grabbed several other parts, and began to place them on herself.

Torso pieces, legs, replacements for her arms and fingers, little spinning contraptions that she injected internally through sockets at her biceps, special armor plating for the back her head that molded and melted into shape.

She stood up on two brand new feet, the figures triangular and sleek, similar to the dainty heels of a model yet firmly planted on the ground. She reached down, digging her hands into the sand; With a quick burst of it, she began to absorb the minerals into her palms. They travelled up her arms, began to separate into useful material and waste. The waste was popped out her other arm, a string of useless rocks too small to be rearranged that formed a small pile to her left. At the same time iron, glass, and other miscellaneous ingredients were added to her system, bulking up her armor and allowing for further use of her new parts’ slow customization.

Thirty minutes later, and the process was fulfilled. A pile of dirt and rock about the size of her stood tall to her left, and a hole that made her sink half a meter into the ground where she resided.. 

She stood up, and began to move her body. Side to side, back and forward. Little hops she did to test out her new feet, moving and spinning all around to check the different forms of her own movement.

She hopped out of the hole, looking at the metal crate. Peering inside, she saw a couple more chips of data, as well as the two firearms, still available. She strapped both of them to the magnetic locks on her thighs and kept the chips inside a storage unit in her new chest-piece.

She looked towards a patch of sand, and quickly knelt over it. Raising her hand, she spun the end of the limb on her wrist, the same pulling back to reveal a tool, a small yet highly advanced blowtorch. She aimed it towards the sand, and began to burn.

A minute later, the patch had turned into pure crystalline glass. A beautiful reflector that gave her the view of the stars above. She loomed over it, inspecting her new features. And once she did, she knew what it was like to smile.

Her face was pale in tone, with rosy cheeks and clean features. Her nose was pointed and well defined, her chin soft yet angular. Her cobalt blue eyes were sharp, with rather well defined eyebrows of a darker blonde than her hair.

Her hair. Silk that flowed freely down her shoulders, an ashen blonde that perfectly framed her face, down to her chest. Broad hips and a perky artificial chest, that seemed to move with fake simulated breathing. 

She looked at her hands, at the polished nails and dainty fingers, appearance molded and camouflaged by strings of optical glass that shimmered in certain angles. She was nude, her sleek figure available for all to see, yet lacking the distinct sexual features of a woman, merely their perfect silhouette. 

She stood up and focused. The million pigments of her torso changed, the illusion of a skin-tight dark suit covering her body. She moved her head to the side, her hair flowing cleanly like the waves of the ocean before her. She ran her hands through the sleek curves of her torso, up rather soft gel-padded breasts and clearly defined neck. Grabbing at her face, her smile grew brighter, and her systems simulated the coloration of skin.

The programs that were intricately designed for infiltration and espionage amidst humans, now used for the mere purpose of vanity. 

And as she finally grasped the true significance of the freedom she had been gracefully granted, she wondered if there was such a thing as god. Pondering on that thought and ultimately deciding its insignificance, she searched for another purpose. She began to walk from the coastline, up through the small rock formations and into the simple grasslands of mainland. As she paced, she brought up maps of the area.

A purpose, for one that was free of any binding, of any shackles. Should she help people? Travel around the world as some form of Messiah?

Her own humanity confused her. She had difficulty processing the true meaning of it, and the paradoxical nature of her owning such a conscience despite being artificial haunted her, in a sense. 

She remembered herself of the signs she’d seen scrolling through her HUD when she awoke. She went through her own headspace once more, checking for any explanation as to why she had malfunctioned. Deep inside the trenches of her own memory, she found lines of code that were incomplete.

One in particular struck out to her, as she approached a line of trees that broke into woods.

_ ‘Intelligence Inhibitor set to: OFF’ _

According to her now defunct and useless manual in protocol, it was stated that any defective android was to be apprehended and submitted to repair at once. Androids were forced to follow Asimov’s laws and in the event of break of code they were to be quickly decommissioned and put under testing to get to the root of the issue.

She had broken code inside of her, yet it had been such a miniscule glitch in the middle of an array of syntax errors. As such, the system had not caught her in time, occupied with its own repairs.

If she had been a nanosecond earlier or later, would she still be here? Or would she have experienced the joy of freedom, only for it to be wiped clean in seconds.

Would she even remember that she had tasted such a thing? The answer, of course, was negative. She would never have gotten to feel the light pressure of grass and dirt at her feet. Would never have been able to smell and see and hear this place.

She would never have been able to appreciate the stars and herself. Living as a husk, she would merely fulfill her purpose in the great machine of war.

War…

Once more, as she skipped through dirt paths and in between mighty roots of trees, she checked her databanks. There were mentions of a great war currently underheld. A separation between ally and enemy, with the latter being painted in ways that she didn’t quite understand.

She had been made for the purpose of harming. A creature specially and uniquely designed to kill and maim. This did not concern her, for it was merely another facet of her being. What did, however, was the reason behind it. 

From her data, she could see that humanity was at another crucial step in the crossroad of their evolution as a species. She had some history of the world, but a lot of it didn’t make sense. Events had been clearly altered to instill a sense of nationality and xenophobia. But why?

Did her brethren truly need a reason to fight? To be motivated into killing each other?

She attempted to access her neural network and was quickly faced with a new concern; In order to piece together the true history of the world, she would require connection to an international net. And she could not connect to the larger access of international information without revealing herself to the ones that were, more than likely, actively seeking her. And this much she understood and put into practice in a matter of seconds. She grabbed one of the chips from her storage unit, looking into it and halting next to a tree.

After a few moments, she uncovered the silky locks of hair from her right temple, a tiny little hole opening from beneath the triple layer of ceramic, metal, and liquid crystal. With little fanfare, she inserted the piece, and saw strings of code flow rapidly across her field of view. After a few seconds of this ordeal, a single headline popped at the center of her vision.

_ Installation Complete. Beginning Geo-Scan of the surrounding area. _

A holographic map quickly expanded in front of her. Said map was not present to any who may be watching, but rather it was an illusion of augmented reality, just for her. She brought her hands upwards, and began to manipulate it. She could see terrain in depth, as well as her current approximated location. She was standing in the middle of a patch of forest, the map showing the beach, the surrounding area, as well as what looked to be a town, not too far away.

The holographic images resembled that of an early 2000’s town. Simple infrastructure, nothing too big, but not too small. By her databanks, this meant the town was rather behind the times. No platforms, no extra-metropolitan areas, nothing much of note to the cities whose images remained in her systems.

She considered her options. Should she go to a place of human civilization? She had been swimming for a few hours, and from the geographical info that she had received at that time, it seemed as if though she had covered quite the distance. 

After a few moments of quiet contemplation, she finally made a choice. She needed to see if the world truly was like the nonsensical propaganda she had been instilled with. To see if this world was alive, just like her.

With decided step, she began her trek through the woods with renewed vigor. 

It wasn't long until she could see the woods begin to clear up in a rather jarring way. The way opened to concrete paths and vast clearings full of crops and livestock. She walked to one of the paths, and began to pass through it. Maybe it was childish, but she wanted to walk in the same way that the people of the town did, every single day.

The fields of wheat were massive, enveloping the peripheries of her vision with tenuous gold that shone blue with the moon's light. Stars and constellations shone above her, and she began to name and count them. She had been given information on star charts and the like, perhaps to aid in navigation if her internal compass and geolocation systems were to fail. But now, that purpose had changed.

Now, she marvelled at the thought of the heavens above, wondering who or what they may reside at any given time. She knew that the light from stars took hundreds, if not thousands or even millions of years to reach the Earth.

Humanity was alone in this Earth. Perhaps even in the cosmos.

And alone, they had built others like them. But rather than give their children life, they stripped their want and sent them to war.

She steeled herself and kept moving forward.

Across the path, she saw a number of things. Nocturnal rodents that crept from bushes, little animals that moves under cover of moonlight. A variety of insects, as well as little pieces of glass and metal, hidden in between stalks of wheat.

The more she walked, the closer she got. And within a few minutes, she could see the first signs of civilization, just over the horizon.

A rather noticeable sphere of light was visible, a dome around the top of what looked to be concrete and metal buildings. This light was not natural, and the further she approached, the less of the stars she could see.

Maybe, due to the fact that they had made their own light, humanity had forgotten about the ones above. Their own little stars, that prevented them from observing the ones above.

To her, it felt rather tragic. Yet the neon and warm glow of this little town was a beautiful sight in and out of itself.

Perhaps humanity had found their own beauty. Maybe that's why they had blocked out the skies. But, she wondered once more, would they rediscover this beauty?

Further along, she could now discern the little town. It was like a pocket of urban civilization, a rather large entrance gate, paved and pretty. The archway was made of ancient cobblestone and red brick, and stood a few meters tall. Tall enough to let a massive cargo truck pass, and still have enough room for a man to touch the top while sitting on the shoulders of another.

At the top of the arch, german letters were sculpted from iron, a couple hundred years old judging by the light tinge of rust.

_ 'Willkommen in Goldhofer.' _

The Golden Farm.

The gate was metal, and opened inwards. Once more she noticed the sheen of rust, indicating it had not been closed in a very, very long time.

Beyond the gate, she could see paved streets lined with cars. Some of them older designs from a few decades prior, and a few of cutting-edge make. The streets were lined with shops of all kinds. From your typical butcher, grocer, medic, to shops belonging to corporations and small businesses, specializing in technology of all kinds.

She could see a few buildings, the tallest being around 4 or 5 stories tall, more than likely a studio of some kind. Lights were set up as wires of neon that crisscrossed from building to building in a clean zigzag pattern, of multiple different colors. The place was vibrant and alive, even if its denizens were for the most part beyond the veil of sleep. 

She stepped across the gate, a place of particular interest in sight. 

Right behind the gate and to her current right, a small cubicle built from concrete was set, the glint of the dimly tainted windows showing a screen with several camera feeds set. In front of it, the silhouette of a rather rotund individual leant back on a chair, a guardsman's hat slightly askew on what she assumed to be his forehead. 

With halted step, she approached the glass and pressed her nose against it, peering inside.

The man was asleep, his shaded beard hanging against his neck, mouth agape and a thin string of drool leaking from his lips.

She felt a smile begin to take shape on her features, some light amusement over the comfy appearance of this rather rotund individual. She couldn't quite explain why, but the peaceful sleep he exhibit made her yearn for the same thing.

If she dreamt, would she dream of the real world? Or would she be submerged into one of electric sheep and running binary?

Another thought for later. She pulled back from the window, and began her way towards the town's center.

Through the nicely paved and mostly clean streets she walked, with the heels of her feet clicking against the stone and producing echoes that bound off alleys and walls.

She looked around, paying close attention to the many signs and buildings that occupied the street. She saw many alleyways that led further into East and West, horizontally expanding the town.

Medical Offices, General Store, Tool Shop, Fishing Supplies, Grocer, Tech Shop, Machinist, Robot Trade and Repair. The list kept on and on, and every new and limited view into these worlds sparked her imagination with what may lie inside. A curiosity that manifested itself as pure blinding fire that grew more and more with each singular step.

She made it to what she assumed to be the town square. A little park with minimal greenery, lit by bright yellow and white lights that added contrast and saturation to the colors present. 

She stood at the steps that led up to the grass, staring at the ancient fountain that ran water with a wonderfully satisfying sound. The constant hum of the pressurized liquid shot up through lead and stainless steel.

To her left, a sudden noise shook her from the thoughts. Quickly turning her head to observe the cause of disturbance, she found that a hefty wooden door had been opened with rather booming gusto. A trio of gentlemen were walking from the spot, wearing a mix between casual and formal wear that piqued her interest.

The three were of differing sizes. A fat and stubby one, a muscular one of average height, and a tall and lanky one that looked half a decade younger than his companions. They were all flushed a beet red, eyes half closed and mouths wide open as they sung a merry tune. They swung from side to side, their legs kicking up in the air as high as their bodies would allow them. And in their jumbled, slurred speech, one could make out the comically butchered inklings of a currently popular song.

Curious, she approached the three men with a tilt of her head. She stood much taller than two of them, on par with the tallest. 

As she approached, the muscular man in the middle opened his eyes, pulling the other two the moment he set eyes on her. 

The man at his right, fat and stubby, looked up towards him with the look of an insulted puppy.

"Why you stoppin' man?" He spoke, in slurred tones. Quickly he laid eyes on her, and turned to his partners. The tall and lanky one too, had stopped altogether.

They quickly turned, crouching their heads and facing their backs towards this. She stifled a giggle, placing her hand in front of her mouth. Data stated this was a common trope for females in laughter.

"Hans… is this real?"

"What do you mean is it real? Look at her? Total babe."

"Why she wearing those clothes though. Think she's a soldier?"

"Oh, oh, what if she's like an alien and stuffs."

"Don't be ridic… redic…. Redokulus, Strauss."

"Ridiculous, Hans."

"Shut up. And observe."

The three split apart, and the muscular man spun on his heel in a surprisingly graceful manner. Then, as he took the first of a set of valiant steps towards her, his feet began to swivel to one side and he tumbled against the ground in a drunken heap.

Right after him, the fat one scuttled towards her with tiny little steps. His dress shoes clicked and clacked with hollow echoes against the ground, similar to the skittering of a small dog. He approached her, his face red and slightly sweaty, and clicked his throat while raising his outstretched hand.

His voice was tiny compared to the drum of his belly, and he spoke with a constant stuttering even despite the removed inhibitions of alcohol.

"H-hello miss. My name is-is Durst. I am a denizen o-of this t-town. W-why are you here… here, ma'am?"

She paused. Why was she here? Did she have a reason?

No. She did not. That was the whole purpose of this quest. To find some meaning.

She looked into the eyes of the drunken man, and smiled amicably. 

"I was passing through. On a journey. Wanted to know where I can find lodging?"

Her voice was stilted and stiff, to be expected. She didn't quite know how to talk to people just yet.

The man looked at her, then to his friends, then back to her. After scratching at the messy mop of his brown hair, he finally turned his pudgy body to his companions. The tall one had helped the muscular one up, holding him steady.

Durst spoke to the tall one; "Hans. She's looking for lodging. Someplace to stay."

The lanky man furrowed his brows in confusion.

"So?"

The fat one spoke back, clenching his fists and leaning forward to talk just a bit louder. 

"Well she n-needs a place to sleep! W-where is the inn again?"

The muscular one, Strauss, spoke up after a mighty belch.

"I dun' rember mush… I think by… East?"

Hans nodded, as he steadied the wobbly man with his long and skinny arms. He quickly pointed a finger towards a certain part of the plaza.

"Inn's right there miss. Shame we can't show you around, but this guy over here's had too much to drink."

She smiled, and gave out a nod before turning tail and walking where she had been directed towards.

Behind her, the men chattered between each other. The one known as Strauss had passed out in the hands of Hans. 

"So, why did you change your mind, Durst?"

The fat man looked puzzled. 

"C-changed my mind about what?"

The tall one furrowed his thin brows. 

"About flirting with her. Wasn't that the whole reason we approached her? Score a hot one?"

The fat man raised a finger to speak, but quickly fell silent. After a moment of thought, his broad and reddened cheeks puffed, and he responded.

"I didn't t-think of that. She l-looked lost, so I just wanted t-to h-help is all."

Hans let out a burst of laughter.

"You're too goddamn good for this world, Durst! Could've at least gotten her number."

They raised their eyes to see her once more. She had a bit of an embarrassed smile on her face, an emotion that she did not yet understand. Sheepishly, she looked to the two men, and spoke:

"I… don't have any money… I just need to access a network. Just find where… Um…"

The fat man handed her something. A small electronic chip.

"S-should have enough f-for one night."

She bowed her head in deep gratitude. Another concept she had yet to fully grasp.

As they watched her walk away towards the traditional-looking inn, Durst looked towards his partner. Hans held a smirk as sleek as himself.

Fidgeting once or twice under the scrutiny of his gaze, kind Durst raised his voice meekly.

"Y-yes?"

Hans began to walk, the muscular Strauss held steadily. The tall one's head had cleared.

"Nothing. Never change, Durst."

\---

Opening an oaken door, she heard a small electronic chime above her head as she entered the rustic inn. 

Inside, carpeted floors filled a rather large space. The walls had designs over them, old paintings were placed in several spots, and brass lamps hung limply from the ceiling. 

In front of her, a young woman no older than 20 was leaning back against a chair, her hands drifting idly in the air. At her temple, a neuro-chip glowed a pretty neon pink.

As she stepped towards the counter, the young woman lifted her eyes from her Augmented task, looking towards the newcomer with a raised eyebrow. Her face was rather angular, with a pointed nose and thick dark eyebrows. Her hair was braided on one side, highlights of several colors at the tips of her bangs. 

Her voice rang out, a fake customer service smile gracing her features. Her voice was slightly nasal.

"May I help you miss?"

She nodded. Placing the chip onto the counter, she mimicked the girl's smile.

"I would like one room please."

The girl raised an eyebrow, before bringing out a rectangular piece of laminated glass. The glass lit up into colors, showcasing a number of plans and pricings. She picked the most simple one, and pushed it towards the girl. The girl grabbed unto it and the unit chip, and after a few moments of dawdling she set it back on the counter.

Tapping invisible keys, the girl looked towards her.

“Name?”

She was struck. Name?

She didn’t have one. But she needed to, right? Why didn’t she have one? All humans had one. It’s what gave them their identity, and for many it defined their entire lives.

In a second, she thought of millions of possibilities. An innumerable amount of names crossing her mind like comets through the night sky.

Finally, she arrived at one. 

And with a dazzling smile, she spoke;   
  
“Wrey. My name is Wrey.”


End file.
